DRIVE DEVICE FOR A MOVABLE PIECE OF FURNITURE
A drive device includes an ejection element, a housing, a locking element for the ejection element, which locking element is disposed in or on the housing and is movable relative thereto, and a detent element, which is connected to the ejection element and, in the closed position, abuts the locking element. In the locking position, the locking element can block the path of the detent element in the opening direction. The ejection element can be released both when a movable piece of furniture is subjected to increased pressure from a closed position in the closure direction and when the movable piece of furniture is pulled from the closure position in the opening direction. A detection system detects the position of the movable piece of furniture, and a transmission device transmits the position of the movable piece of furniture detected by the detection system to the locking element.
The invention concerns a drive device for a moveable furniture part, comprising an ejection element which acts on the moveable furniture part in the opening direction, a housing, a locking element for the ejection element, which is arranged in or on the housing and is moveable relative to the housing, a latching element which is connected to the ejection element and which in the closed position bears against the locking element, wherein the path of the latching element in the opening direction can be blocked by the locking element at least in the closed position of the moveable furniture part, wherein the ejection element can be released both upon over-pressing of the moveable furniture part from a closed position in the closing direction and also upon pulling of the moveable furniture part from the closed position in the opening direction, and a detection device for detecting the position of the moveable furniture part. The invention further concerns an article of furniture having such a drive device.
Various drive devices with lockable ejection devices have already been known for many years in the furniture fitting industry, in which unlocking is effected by pressing or by pulling on the moveable furniture part (drawer, flap, door or the like). By virtue of that unlocking action the ejection element is free and can eject the moveable furniture part in the opening direction.
An example of this is to be found in Austrian patent application A 1891/2011 to the present applicant, which is published after the relevant date and which forms a prior right.
EP 2 294 944 A1 discloses a latching system in which a switching element is latched in a loop-shaped portion of a switching curve. That switching curve has a latching recess, wherein the latching recess is at least partly moveable in order to cause unlocking of the switching element when a force acts on the switching element in the opening direction, wherein upon unlocking of a switching element of a latching fitment the force of at least two force storage means causes unlocking of the switching element of a second latching fitment.
Both specifications therefore disclose force-controlled triggering of the latching element or switching element, wherein upon movement of the moveable furniture part from the closed position in the opening direction (therefore by pulling), by way of the latching element or the switching element itself respectively a part of the locking element or the latching recess itself is moved against a spring force whereby the ejection element is unlocked. A disadvantage in that respect is that, in particular for unlocking by pulling, pulling has to be effected against the force of a separate force storage means.
Therefore the object of the present invention is to provide a drive device which is an alternative to the state of the art or which is improved over the state of the art.
That is achieved by a drive device having the features of claim 1. Accordingly in accordance with the invention there is provided a transmission device which is separate from the latching element for transmission of the position of the moveable furniture part, that is detected by the detection device, to the locking portion, wherein upon pulling of the moveable furniture part from the closed position in the opening direction the locking element is moveable by the transmission device. Thus at least when a pulling force is applied it is no longer the latching element itself that serves to transmit the pulling movement involving the moveable furniture part. Rather, there is provided a transmission device which is separate from the latching element and which upon pulling—depending on the respective design configuration involved, in addition upon over-pressing—unlocks the ejection element.
According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention it can be provided that the detection device can be coupled to the moveable furniture part by way of an entrainment member at least in a part of the path of movement of the moveable furniture part. That coupling action should occur in particular in the path of movement of the moveable furniture part, that is immediately prior to the closed position.
To guarantee exact detection and transmission of the position of the moveable furniture part to the locking element it is preferably provided that the transmission device has a moveable, preferably pivotable coupling element wherein upon movement of the detection device from the closed position in the opening direction the transmission device can be coupled to a connecting element of the detection device by way of the coupling element. If only the movement of the moveable furniture part in the opening direction is intended to have an effect on the transmission device then preferably the coupling element should be overridable upon in movement of the detection device in the closing direction by the connecting element of the detection device.
In itself locking of the latching element can be implemented by way of a frictionally locking and/or positively locking action between the latching element and the locking element. It is preferably provided that provided in the housing at least partly is a preferably cardioid curve-shaped sliding track for the latching element which is mounted preferably pivotably to the ejection element, wherein the locking element forms at least a part of a latching recess of the sliding track.
For a simple structural configuration it can be provided that the transmission device has a transmission slide mounted moveably in or on the housing, wherein preferably the locking element is in one piece with the transmission slide. Thus the transmission slide serves on the one hand for transmission of the movement of the moveable furniture part to the locking element and at the same time forms a part of the latching recess of the sliding track.
In principle besides a lockable ejection device the drive device can also have a retraction device for retraction of the moveable furniture part from an open position into the closed position. Preferably in that case the retraction device forms a part of the detection device, in particular when the entrainment member is arranged on the retraction device. The retraction device can additionally also be damped by a damping device.
Protection is also claimed for an article of furniture comprising a furniture carcass, a moveable furniture part and a drive device according to the invention for the moveable furniture part. Preferably the major part—therefore except for the entrainment member—of the drive device is associated with the moveable furniture part and engages the entrainment member which is fixed with respect to the furniture carcass by way of catch lever. However it can also be provided, in the reverse arrangement, that the lockable ejection device is arranged on the furniture carcass and the entrainment member is also moveable with the moveable furniture part.
Further details and advantages of the present invention are described more fully hereinafter by means of the specific description with reference to the embodiments by way of example illustrated in the drawings in which:
If now a pressure is applied to the moveable furniture part 2 in the closing direction SR as shown in
In comparison
In
Exploded views of a specific embodiment by way of example of a drive device 1 are shown in
The sliding track 12 in which the latching element 6 moves is provided in the housing center plate 26 and thus in the housing 4. The latching element is held pivotably at one end at the mounting location 42 in the ejection element 3. The ejection element 3 is moveable between abutments relative to the housing center plate 26. The spring base 33 for the ejection force storage means 18 (tension spring) is provided on that ejection element 3. The other end of the ejection force storage means 18 is held to the spring base 32. That spring base 32 is disposed at the spring stressing element 30 fixedly connected to the housing base plate 24. The spring stressing force can be adjusted in dependence on the location of fixing of the spring stressing element 30 to the housing base plate 24. The spring stressing element 30 arranged on the housing base plate 24 can be moved relative to the housing base plate 24 by way of the adjusting element 31 and thus the spring stressing force of the ejection force storage means 18 can be adjusted.
A spring base 35 for the retraction force storage means 19 (tension spring) is also disposed on the ejection element 3, the retraction force storage means being fixed on the other hand to the spring base 34 on the retraction slide 15. That retraction slide 15 (it can also be referred to as the retraction device 15) is mounted to the ejection slide 3 moveably limitedly by abutments. At one end of the retraction slide 15 is disposed the axis of rotation 38 for the catch lever 37. The entrainment member 9 is held by way of that catch lever 37—which is part of the detection device 7. The entrainment member 9 is fixedly connected to the mounting plate 36 which is mounted to the carcass rail 23 (not shown). A damping abutment 40 is also provided at the end of the retraction slide 15 so that upon contact occurring between the retraction slide 15 and the entrainment member 9 no loud noise occurs and the components are handled gently.
The transmission slide 14 mounted moveably on the housing center plate 26 is provided for travel-controlled triggering of the ejection slide 3 or for travel-controlled nullification of the locking action upon pulling on the moveable furniture part. At one end the slide 14 has the locking element 5 which in part also forms the latching recess 13 of the sliding track 12. The inclined deflection means 43 which also forms the sliding track 12 for the over-pressing effect is also provided on that transmission slide 14. The elastic coupling element 10 is held at the front end of the transmission slide 14, the coupling element 10 corresponding to the connecting element 11 provided on the retraction slide 15. Also arranged on the transmission slide 14 is the deflection element 20, by way of which the latching element 6 can be moved back into the closed position SS in the event of the ejection movement not being complete. The slider 39 which is mounted resiliently on the housing center plate 26 serves to provide that the latching element 6 does not pass into an unwanted portion of the sliding track 12, in particular when the drawer is thrown shut with too little energy and is ejected again before locking takes place. In such a movement the slider 39 remains closed.
The housing center plate 26 is removed in
It will be seen that the latching element 6 bears against an end of the retraction slide 15—which is formed by the latching element abutment 41. The latching element 6 cannot escape from that position as it is guided in the sliding track 12.
That sliding track 12 is visible for the major part in
To give a better view in relation to the latching element 6 a part of the ejection slide 3 is removed in
In contrast in
In conformity therewith the retraction slide 15 is partly removed in
In
When the moveable furniture part 2 is further moved in the closing direction SR in
As soon as the moveable furniture part 2 is further moved from the position in
The moveable furniture part is moved or retracted from the open position OS in
If pressure is applied to the moveable furniture part 2 in the closing direction SR in that closed position SS (see
Due to deflection at the inclined deflection means 43 (see
As soon as that opening portion 45 is reached the ejection element 3 is unlocked and the ejection force storage means 18 can be relieved of stress and the moveable furniture part 2 is ejected in the opening direction OR and passes into the open position OS (see
If now pressure is not applied to the moveable furniture part 2 from that closed position SS but a pulling force is applied to the moveable furniture part 2, that movement is detected by the detection device 7—which is formed by the catch lever 37 and the retraction slide 15. As a result the retraction slide 15 and therewith the connecting element 11 are moved towards the right until it bears against the coupling element 10 and entrains it. Due to the coupling element 10 being entrained in that way, as shown in
As a further consequence, as shown in
If as shown in
By virtue of that release effect the ejection force storage means 18 (not shown) can be relieved of stress and moves the ejection element 3 in the opening direction OR, whereby the moveable furniture part reaches the open position OS shown in
In the closing movement as shown in
In contrast to the first embodiment, this second embodiment provides that the locking element 5 is moved relative to the housing not only when a pulling force is applied but also in the event of over-pressing, while the latching element 6 respectively remains passive and is only released.
Therefore, that travel-controlled triggering of the latching element 6 provides a possible option, as an alternative to force-controlled triggering, for unlocking the latching element 6 at least when pulling on the moveable furniture part 2 in the opening direction OR.
Claims
1. A drive device for a moveable furniture part, comprising
- an ejection element which acts on the moveable furniture part in the opening direction,
- a housing,
- a locking element for the ejection element, which is arranged in or on the housing and is moveable relative to the housing,
- a latching element which is connected to the ejection element and which in the closed position bears against the locking element, wherein the path of the latching element in the opening direction can be blocked by the locking element at least in the closed position of the moveable furniture part, wherein the ejection element can be released both upon over-pressing of the moveable furniture part from a closed position in the closing direction and also upon pulling of the moveable furniture part from the closed position in the opening direction,
- a detection device for detecting the position of the moveable furniture part, and
- a transmission device separate from the latching element for transmission of the position of the moveable furniture part, that is detected by the detection device, to the locking portion, wherein upon pulling of the moveable furniture part from the closed position in the opening direction the locking element is moveable by the transmission device.
2. A drive device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the detection device can be coupled to the moveable furniture part by way of an entrainment member at least in a part of the path of movement of the moveable furniture part.
3. A drive device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the transmission device has a moveable, preferably pivotable coupling element wherein upon movement of the detection device from the closed position in the opening direction the transmission device can be coupled to a connecting element of the detection device by way of the coupling element.
4. A drive device as set forth in claim 3, wherein upon movement of the detection device in the closing direction the coupling element can be passed over by the coupling element of the detection device.
5. A drive device as set forth in claim 1, wherein provided in the housing at least partly is a preferably cardioid curve-shaped sliding track for the latching element which is mounted preferably pivotably to the ejection element, wherein the locking element forms at least a part of a latching recess of the sliding track.
6. A drive device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the transmission device has a transmission slide mounted moveably in or on the housing.
7. A drive device as set forth in claim 6, wherein the locking element is in one piece with the transmission slide.
8. A drive device as set forth in claim 1, further comprising a retraction device for retraction of the moveable furniture part from an open position into the closed position.
9. A drive device as set forth in claim 8, wherein the refraction device is part of the detection device.
10. An article of furniture comprising a furniture carcass, a moveable furniture part and a drive device as set forth in claim 1 for the moveable furniture part.
Type: Application
Filed: Dec 22, 2014
Publication Date: Apr 23, 2015
Patent Grant number: 9215929
Inventor: Harald BRUNNMAYR (Hoerbranz)
Application Number: 14/578,981
International Classification: A47B 88/04 (20060101); A47B 96/00 (20060101); A47B 88/16 (20060101);